One Beat
by WP
Summary: Palex. Post high fidelity. Who's gonna swallow their pride first and will it work out?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **Hey, this is a sequel to Not What You Want. You should read that first. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed last time, they were some lovely and ego boosting comments and I appreciate them all. Hope this isn't a let down lol.

**One Beat**

Alex Nunez sighed as she looked around her cramped, messy room. The walls were depressingly close, a mattress on the floor serving as the bed part of the room and empty bottles and school papers covering the rest of the floor space.

But it wasn't the room that she was struggling to leave behind. It was the neatly folded pile of clothes at the corner of the mattress that kept her standing in that apartment instead of marching out like she'd planned.

The night of their first kiss Alex had stayed at Paige's, alone in her bed while the other girl was freaked out and sleeping on the sofa but still. And the next morning, the blonde had given her clean clothes for school which she'd been reluctant to give back. Too much significance even though she'd never admit it.

She'd never been a planner. In fact it was a concept she tried so hard to avoid but in the two days since her break up with Paige she realised a lot. She broke up with Paige because she kept trying to map out her future for her and that scared her.

Plan's lead to disappointment. Her mom had plans, needless to say they never worked out. The only plan that ever worked in her family was her father's plan to bolt the second he found out her mom was pregnant.

Paige was destined for a good life with a good career after she graduated from Banting. Alex wouldn't be the only flaw in her otherwise perfect life.

She knew what she had gave up in Paige but it was only because she really cared about the blonde. She knew there was logic in it somewhere, it was just confused logic. If she could just figure out how to not be her mother but in her own way, in a way she knew wouldn't fail, then maybe she could be worthy of fighting for Paige.

So, she finally turned her back on that room and left.

Paige Michalchuk had been a shell of her former self for two days straight and she was sick of it. She'd been a mess and she begged Alex to take her back. She'd never done that in her life. She'd never met anyone who made her so pathetic.

"Paige, you're pathetic."

She didn't even raise her head to look at Dylan, she just stayed how she'd been all day, lying on her bed starring at either the pillow or the wall.

"Thanks." She mumbled weakly.

Dylan sighed then took Paige by the arm and easily pulled her up so she was sitting next to him.

"Leave me alone! Why did you even come back home so early!" She said as she shoved him.

"Love. I came back for Marco and it worked. I didn't lie in bed all day feeling sorry for myself."

She finally looked him in the eye, her fury was obvious. "I went after her, you know that! I begged her to go to Banting! She just doesn't want me and you rubbing it in doesn't help."

Dylan put his arm around his little sister's shoulders. "Trust your gay big brother's relationship advice, especially since I got the entire run-down from Marco - Alex loves you, even if neither of you will admit that, and it seems like she thinks she's doing the best for both of you but if you just talk to her again, tell her you want her, she'll eventually get the message."

Paige wiped the stray tears from her face. "Can you give me a ride?"

Paige paced the hallway outside Alex's apartment. She could do this. She just had to convince Alex that she can be her own person, not Paige's shadow.

Finally stepping up to the door she knocked. After a few moments she heard some noise then the door swung open.

"Paige. Come on in." Alex's mom had obviously been woken by her knocking.

"Hi. Is Alex in her room?" She asked stepping inside.

Her mom shrugged, "had a late night, was catching up on some sleep so you go on and check."

Paige thanked her then headed to Alex's room. Her stomach was doing flips but she didn't slow down. When she opened the door she expected to see Alex stretched out on her bed, headphones on, completely oblivious to the world but instead she saw a more empty room than normal. Her pile of CD's were gone, along with her clothes and her duffel.

The only thing in the room that stuck out was the neat pile of clothes on the mattress. Her heart stopped. She knew they were her's. But they became Alex's when she did. If she was getting them back it was like she really wasn't Alex's any more.

Paige wasn't sure what happened next. She was carrying the pile of clothes, hugging them close to her chest as she struggled to keep composed. She said something to Alex's mom who just waved her off. Once she had left the apartment complex and got back to Dylan's car she broke down. Her brother was asking her what had happened, then he gave up and just hugged her but none of it made a difference.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Hazel and Marco walked on either side of Paige down the hallways of Degrassi. The two of them shared a silent shrug as they followed along side their broken friend. She was spaced out, just walking on autopilot but neither knew how to help. As they rounded the corner all three of them froze.

Alex was at her locker. Paige had said, had thought, that Alex had left town. Her stuff was gone, her own mother hadn't seen her in 4 days.

The raven haired girl had yet to notice the 3 seniors staring at her. Marco nudged Paige. "Go talk to her."

Hazel then stood forward. "Paige. I love you and you're my best friend but your not exactly your normal spirit club self and if she can fix that then go talk to her."

Paige nodded, not quite trusting her voice. She'd spent the weekend thinking she'd never see Alex again. It felt like she'd died but now she was just at school like things were normal? No, Paige Michalchuk does not get treated this way.

"I want to talk to you." She told Alex, not asking.

Alex was more than a little scared by the look she was getting from Paige. "Laneway after class?"

"Why not now?"

Alex lowered her head not quite believing what she was about to say. "I can't miss class."

Paige was too shocked to fight about that so she mumbled 'after class' and left. Like she would concentrate on a thing Simpson said in MI.

Paige was pacing up and down the Laneway when Alex arrived.

"Hey... so, is this where you bludgeon me to death?" Alex asked not so subtly.

Paige scowled at her. "It is if you don't tell me what the hell is going on."

"What?"

"I went to your place. Your stuff was gone. I thought you'd left the city or the country. I kept thinking of you lying dead by the side of the road because some psycho truck driver you hitchhiked with cut your head off! Then your in school? Going to class? Why do you hate me?"

Paige had rambled herself through the entire rainbow of emotions and landed on the upset side of the scale.

"I don't hate you. I lo… left home. I wouldn't graduate if I stayed there. Not exactly great for studying. Although it does sound better than the hitchhiker scenario." She let out a nervous laugh.

"Your mom doesn't know and you left the clothes." She looked at Alex with tears in her eyes. "You swapped all your shifts so you never have to work with me."

Alex felt her insides twist. "I thought it'd be easier that way."

Paige let out a pained laugh. She felt like such an idiot. Sitting down on the step she began gesturing widely.

"I made such a mistake. I spent this entire time mopping and being heartbroken, thinking of ways I could get you back. I thought you actually liked me, that I just had to make you see that but… I was so wrong." She laughed. "I hope you won some big bet or something out of this cause this is just too weird. The popular cheerleader and the girl from the wrong side of the tracks? What was I thinking!?"

Alex was stunned at just how much she had screwed this up. She had Paige thinking what they had meant nothing, when really it meant everything. Dropping to her knee's in front of the blonde she tried to think of the right words.

She should add that to the list of things she is a failure at. All she could do was look Paige in the eye.

Paige, who had talked herself into a place where Alex hadn't cared about her, soon saw she wasn't right. There was one thing she was sure of with Alex, no matter how she acted or what she said, her true feelings were obvious by her eyes.

She slowly raised her hand and traced down Alex's cheek. "You have the darkest eyes but they don't hide a thing."

The other girl struggled to remain composed so she took Paige's hand from her face but failed to let it go completely.

"We can't. We've been through this."

Paige leaned forward, "why? Explain to me again because I don't know any good reason for you not kissing me right now."

This caused Alex to break eye contact. Staring at the concrete she tried to just keep breathing. She wanted to tell Paige again why they'd split up but at that moment she couldn't remember.

Looking back up she tried to say something, anything to make this better but nothing would come out. She hated when this happened. It was like her brain had so much to say but it would be too scared to let the serious stuff be said and cut itself off from her mouth.

Paige, seeing that Alex wasn't going to say anything, spoke up. "What is going on in there, hon?" she asked softly as she put a finger on Alex's forehead.

"Everything. You." She took a breath trying to pull it together. "I've moved in with my old neighbour, Maggie. She used to look after me a lot, let me hang out with her when my place was too rowdy or empty. She told me she'd have a bed for me if I ever needed it. And I did. She works for an ad company in the city, she's the one who taught me to draw. She's helping me make a portfolio. But I have to go to class, get decent grades, keep out of trouble."

Paige was stunned, of all the situations running through her mind this was not one of them.

"I'm going to apply to art school. Like you said. I probably won't get a scholarship this late in the year though."

"You will, your talented." Paige said sincerely.

"I was thinking about what I could do with my life, what I was good at. Sketching was all I came up with."

"That's not all your good at."

Alex smirked and Paige swatted her, "don't be so dirty minded."

Alex's smile faded as she became serious again. "There's one more thing. The art school I applied to, it's next to Banting. If your done with me, I'd understand."

Paige literally dived onto Alex knocking them onto the ground, their arms wrapped around one another while Paige made what were presumably happy noises.

When Paige pulled back she wasted no time in finding Alex's lips with her own.

When they finally broke for air, Alex pushed a strand of hair from the blonde's face. "I'm sorry I'm so stubborn. I'm not used to having someone like you in my life."

"Someone who's crushing you while remaining stylish?" Paige asked as she began to get off Alex who instantly protested and tightened her grip.

"I like knowing your there." Her eyebrows then knitted in fake worry. "And your not looking your normal stylish self today."

Paige rolled her eyes, she had walked herself into that one. "Yeah well, I go baggy when I've had my heartbroken."

Alex kissed her. "You're the most beautiful I've ever seen you."

"Suck up."

"Well, yeah, but it is true."

Paige leaned down and kissed her again. They broke apart when they heard voices.

"We should get up, go home. I want to meet Maggie. Does she know about… us? How old is she? Does she live alone? Apart from you obviously. I can't wait to tell Dylan. He's been giving me, 'I'm older and therefore wiser than you and I know all about relationships now I'm in college' advice all weekend. We should go on a trip of Banting and Art School. Maybe this weekend before they break for summer."

Alex tried for the third time to break into Paige's ramble. "Paige!"

"what?!"

"Breathe."

She did, realising it had been a while. "Sorry." she said as she got up gave Alex a hand up.

"Come to Maggie's with me? Stay for dinner?" Alex asked knowing the answer.

Paige grinned. "Yes."

Alex nodded, "good." She slipped her hand into Paige's and the two left the Laneway and rejoined the world as a couple.


End file.
